Acetylene

OAKLAND PARK -- Police said some acetylene tanks and sprinkler heads were taken in a car burglary on Wednesday in the 3800 block of Northwest 10th Avenue. Police said the tanks and sprinkler heads were valued at $553.

A fire on the roof of a building under construction at Forest Hill High School on Friday caused the evacuation of the school's nearby media center and closed Forest Hill Boulevard for several hours. No one was hurt, West Palm Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Phil Kaplan said. A workman using an acetylene torch ignited insulation on the roof of the new building, which was unoccupied, Kaplan said. Students were not let out of classrooms until the fire was put out, he said. Forest Hill Boulevard reopened around 1:30 p.m., he said.

Pembroke Pines-- One oxygen tank and two acetylene tanks were taken from a construction site in the 10600 block of Johnson Street, police were told on Monday. The tanks, owned by a Fort Lauderdale welding supply firm, were worth a total of $700, police said.

MIRAMAR -- Two men narrowly avoided disaster on Friday when acetylene gas from a tank`s leaking valve ignited inside a house, shooting out a six-foot jet of flame, firefighters said. James Hesson, the owner of the house at 2430 Riviera Drive, and neighbor Al Hufford were working on a bathroom plumbing fixture with an acetylene torch when the tank ignited just after noon. Hufford quickly dragged the tank out of the house. There was little damage. Firefighters evacuated about 12 homes in the immediate area while the leaking fuel burned off for about 40 minutes, Division Chief Brett Berwick said.

MIRAMAR -- Two men narrowly avoided disaster on Friday when acetylene gas from a tank`s leaking valve ignited inside a house, shooting out a six-foot jet of flame, firefighters said. James Hesson, the owner of the house at 2430 Riviera Drive, and neighbor Al Hufford were working on a bathroom plumbing fixture with an acetylene torch when the tank ignited just after noon. Hufford quickly dragged the tank out of the house. There was little damage. Firefighters evacuated about 12 homes in the immediate area while the leaking fuel burned off for about 40 minutes, Division Chief Brett Berwick said.

In an attempt to protect residents from propane tank explosions like the one that leveled a Midas Muffler shop on University Drive last year, the Planning and Zoning Board has recommended restricting the use of propane gas. Board member Murray Baim proposed last week that the town code be changed to prohibit the use of propane and liquid propane within a half mile of a residential area. "The fact that we had one explosion is the reason for this suggestion," Baim said. "It doesn`t matter what business it`s being used in, it`s too dangerous to use near people`s homes."

Oxygen and acetylene gas tanks stored in a wooden shed caught fire and exploded at a Florida Power & Light plant on Friday afternoon, temporarily trapping a dozen boilermakers and ironworkers and forcing the evacuation of a square-mile area of homes and businesses around the plant. Sparks from a welding torch touched off the fire less than two hours after a barbecue had been thrown for construction workers to celebrate 1 million hours of renovation work on the plant without a lost-time accident, workers and officials said.

A fire on the roof of a building under construction at Forest Hill High School on Friday caused the evacuation of the school's nearby media center and closed Forest Hill Boulevard for several hours. No one was hurt, West Palm Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Phil Kaplan said. A workman using an acetylene torch ignited insulation on the roof of the new building, which was unoccupied, Kaplan said. Students were not let out of classrooms until the fire was put out, he said. Forest Hill Boulevard reopened around 1:30 p.m., he said.

Oxygen and acetylene gas tanks stored in a wooden shed caught fire and exploded at a Florida Power & Light plant on Friday afternoon, temporarily trapping a dozen boilermakers and ironworkers and forcing the evacuation of a square-mile area of homes and businesses around the plant. Sparks from a welding torch touched off the fire less than two hours after a barbecue had been thrown for construction workers to celebrate 1 million hours of renovation work on the plant without a lost-time accident, workers and officials said.

DAVIE -- A worker welding an oil storage tank was injured on Tuesday when vapors inside the tank caught fire and then exploded, tossing him a car`s length and sending flames and smoke 30 feet into the air, authorities said. The fire at Certified Truck Sales Inc. in the 3200 block of Southwest 50th Avenue caused a double explosion that destroyed two flatbed trucks and a forklift, and sent pieces of pipe, metal tank and hose flying, fire officials and witnesses said. Worker Neal Sims, 34, of Cooper City suffered a broken ankle when he was thrown "10 feet up and 10 feet backwards," police spokeswoman Christine Murray said.

OAKLAND PARK -- Police said some acetylene tanks and sprinkler heads were taken in a car burglary on Wednesday in the 3800 block of Northwest 10th Avenue. Police said the tanks and sprinkler heads were valued at $553.

In a vacant lot behind docked ships, about 150 South Florida firefighters gathered Thursday at Port Everglades to play with fire. But it was a very serious affair. Firefighters from Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties were learning how to extinguish and clean up after a hazardous chemical fire. In a series of demonstrations involving minor explosions, lethal gas clouds and chemical buckets engulfed in raging flames, the firefighters were learning that special methods must be used to contain particular chemical fires.

The Site Plan Committee postponed action Tuesday on a proposal to rebuild a Midas muffler shop at its former location on South University Drive. The original Midas shop on the site was destroyed in a massive explosion Sept. 24 that killed four people and injured eight, while causing more than $1 million in damage to nearby homes and businesses. Committee members said they wanted to await a town police report on the explosion. Vice Mayor Joan Kovac, a committee member, said she wants Fire Chief Michael Donati to read the final report and advise the committee on proposed safety measures before it considers the rebuilding plan.

Pembroke Pines-- One oxygen tank and two acetylene tanks were taken from a construction site in the 10600 block of Johnson Street, police were told on Monday. The tanks, owned by a Fort Lauderdale welding supply firm, were worth a total of $700, police said.